One of them is a Prince-approved soul-funk powerhouse from Kansas whose last Australian tour, for Vivid Live in 2012, resulted in one of the shows of the year. The other exceeded all expectations when she proved herself with her own material, just as her cameo on Gotye's phenomenal Somebody that I Used to Know was making her the world's most recognisable Kiwi (at least until Lorde came along).

The fact, then, that the American Janelle Monae and New Zealander Kimbra are joining forces for some Australian dates a little more than a month from now is big news indeed. The Golden Electric Tour will start in Perth on May 16, taking in Sydney (19) and Brisbane (21) before a brief detour to Kimbra's homeland (specifically Auckland on May 24), returning to finish in her adopted city of Melbourne (26).

This union isn't just a case of a savvy record company throwing two artists together. Monae and Kimbra bonded at last year's Montreux Jazz Festival over drinks, which turned into a spontaneous jam session that same night. A friendship was born and, soon enough, a collaborative tour was suggested: both will play their own sets with their respective bands, as well as perform together.

Monae will bring the dazzling smorgasboard of R&B, hip-hop and pop she explored on last year's The Electric Lady and the previous instalments of her Metropolis suite, while Kimbra will hopefully preview material from the keenly anticipated follow-up to her ARIA award-winning debut Vows, as well as hits from the latter such as Cameo Lover.